During the height of Melbourne’s longest lockdown in July of 2020, corporate lawyer turned Founder and CEO Kate Dillon, dismayed by the number of local businesses on the brink of shutdown, including her own online luxury handbag business, She Lion, embarked on an ambitious project to ‘support local’.
While “Support Local” has increasingly been the focus of many campaigns, Kate was motivated to find a wholly tangible way to give back to the local business community.
“We were in the middle of a two-week lockdown in March that turned into almost 6 months. The collective mood across Melbourne was pretty depressing. The inspiration actually came about after I posted an image of myself in an empowering slogan tee. I received so many positive comments and recognised I could create something to support Melbourne makers AND offer a pick-me-up to my own customers,” Kate Dillon said.
The concept: An end to end Australian supply chain for a new range of garments made from natural fibres, with as many processes as possible completed here in Melbourne.
Intended to empower and motivate customers, while directly supporting local Melbourne manufacturers and businesses Dillon decided on launching with a quality line of 100% cotton sweatshirts featuring the slogans: “Support Local” and “Actually, I can.”
“I put out a cold call to Melbourne family-run clothing manufacturer, CGT Australia about the concept and managed to speak with the Director, Phillip Skorsis. He proceeded to spend hours guiding me through the process, sharing industry knowledge and completely opening his book of local contacts. I was floored by the generosity and thrilled with the response.” said Kate.
What followed was a collective effort in overwhelming kindness and compassion. In total, 22 businesses from a Melbourne knitting mill through to a Melbourne distribution centre came together to bring the 100% local project to life.
“We want to invest a million dollars into new equipment so we can continue to become more high-tech and environmentally friendly, but we can’t do so if processes keep getting shifted offshore. A project like this gives us hope for the future of the industry” said Sam Veskoukis from Richmond Industrial Laundry.
Most Australian consumers will have very little understanding of how many different businesses are involved in the supply chain of any garment. Even if an item is designed, and constructed in Australia, it is very often milled, cut, dyed, graded and sampled offshore as labour costs can be far cheaper. To truly ‘support local’, each and every element in the manufacturing that could be kept in Australia was, even in the face of three different lockdown periods for Melbourne that brought production to a complete halt in September 2020.
“It’s essential to the survival of Australian business that we shop in our own backyard and source products from home. There are so many companies still manufacturing in Australia and it is important people know how to support them and where to find them,”said Tanya Cahir from Melbourne distribution centre, Direct Mail Corporation.
Though the concept for the project came about in June ‘20, it has taken nearly 12 months to come to fruition. The many lockdowns the Melbourne community faced in 2020 (and now in ‘21) saw drastic changes to the way many people work. Most meetings to troubleshoot tricky pattern issues, fittings that would normally be in-person and sampling were often done remotely with items being shipped back and forth. Each manufacturer faced its own specific logistical and personnel challenges.
“In March 2020 we had to consider how to continue operating through the pandemic. I jumped at the opportunity to help Kate at She Lion to create these sweatshirts because ‘support local’ is more than just a slogan and as a family-owned and run business, it’s personal.”said Director of CGT Manufacturing Australia, Phillip Skorsis.
That’s why, in the face of many logistical delays, remote working challenges and everything that living through lockdowns threw at the team, Kate remained dogged to stay true to the mission. Because supporting local is personal and essential to the recovery of the local economy and actually… she could make it happen.
A snapshot of the Australian based businesses involved to bring the project to life:
Melbourne fabric miller and manufacturer – TopKnit Fabrics Australia
Melbourne designer – She Lion Group Pty Ltd
Melbourne pattern maker – Clothe Creative Pty Ltd
Melbourne dark room sampler (during lockdown) – Stella Park Design
Melbourne grader – William Stanley; Markit Apparel
Sleep is crucial for a person’s overall health and wellbeing, but environmental toxins can affect the quality of sleep too.
Sleep – The daily condition of where our bodies go into a state of reduced mental and physical activity, in which consciousness is altered, and sensory activity is inhibited to a certain extent.
Sleep is crucial for a person’s overall health and wellbeing, but environmental toxins can affect the quality of sleep too.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tied sleep deprivation to depression, diabetes and high blood pressure. Added to the mix are heavy metals and environmental toxins that can disrupt the body’s natural healing processes which can also affect the quality of a person’s sleep.
Clayton Thomas, CEO and Founder of The ROOT Brands, joined us to discuss his thoughts around how a mix of heavy metals and environmental toxins can affect the quality of sleep too.
The increasing demand for cybersecurity talent is ramping up to meet industry needs
The Australian cyber sector currently employs 26,500 people but increasing demand for talent means an estimated 30,000 jobs will need to be created by 2026 to meet industry needs. Globally, the cybersecurity industry projects a massive 3.5 million jobs will be unfulfilled by 2025.
Australia’s largest ASX listed cyber security company, Tesserent (ASX:TNT), is investing over $250,000 to develop cybersecurity talent from diverse backgrounds, age cohorts and genders to accelerate the future pipeline of talent in cybersecurity.
Tesserent’s CEO Kurt Hansen joined us to discuss how the free ‘100 Day Challenge’ program will help accelerate 100 participants in cybersecurity skills.
It has been described as the organ that heavily influences a person’s mood even more than the brain
It has been described as the organ that heavily influences a person’s mood even more than the brain – Your stomach.
Scientist have found that the gut behaves like a second brain to the body. So how does the brain impact your gut and mood?
Clayton Thomas, CEO & Founder of The ROOT Brands explains his thoughts as to how the brain can have an impact on your gut, which scientists call the “gut/brain axis connection”.
Harvard Medical School recently found that a person’s stomach or intestinal distress can be a cause of anxiety, stress or even depression. Other studies show people with mood disorders have a gut microbiome. Research has also shown that 50 percent of all dopamine and roughly 95 percent of all serotonin are produced in a person’s gut and both of these play a crucial role in a person’s mood.
The Green Edition is presented by The ROOT Brands – Inspiring Greatness with natural solutions for people to reach their highest and healthiest potential.
